According to U.S. Pat. No. 2,848,455 recemic .alpha.-(4-aminophenyl)-.alpha.-lower alkylglutarimides, acid addition salts or lower alkanoyl derivatives thereof "exhibit anticonvulsive activity". The .alpha.-ethyl derivative, i.e. aminoglutethimide, its hydrochloride or phosphate, has been used in the form of injectable solutions or 125 and 250 mg tablets, as an anticonvulsant which, alone, or particularly as an adjunct, controls seizures in most forms of epilepsy, even in cases refractory to other therapeutic agents.
Furthermore, it has been shown that aminoglutethimide inhibits at high dosage levels the secretion of adrenal cortical hormones in both animals and man. Thus, according to U.S. Pat. No. 3,595,960 a method of treating hypertensives with reduced renin blood levels and normal or reduced mineralocorticoid secretion rate is disclosed, which consists in the administering to a host suffering from said hypertension about 8 to 15 mg/kg/day of a recemic .alpha.-(4-aminophenyl)-.alpha.-lower alkylglutarimide, or its therapeutically acceptable acid addition salt or lower alkhanoyl derivative.
Suprisingly it has been found that the major known biological activities of said racemic products reside in the dextrorotatory antipodes, especially the inhibitory effects on the adrenal gland.